Namibia Deploys Troops to Fight Massive Etosha National Park Wildfires

Namibia has mobilized hundreds of troops to localize and extinguish large-scale fires that are sweeping one of the continent’s largest natural areas – Etosha National Park. The blaze threatens the region’s ecosystem and the lives of local communities and tourist infrastructure.

The fires broke out on September 22 in the southwestern part of ENP, according to a statement by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism released over the weekend. According to the ministry, the fire has already spread to significant areas of the park.

According to official tallies, about 775,163 hectares of the park have burned (roughly 1.9 million acres), which accounts for about 34% of its total area; additionally, 171,098 hectares of land outside the reserve have been destroyed.

“The ecological damage inside ENP is significant.”

In a separate statement released on Sunday through official government channels, the Office of the Acting President of Namibia, Lusia Vitboy, said that 540 soldiers and helicopter support have been mobilized to fight the fires.

“The fire poses a significant threat to biodiversity, wildlife, and the livelihoods of communities in affected areas,” the statement said, adding that there are no exact figures on animal casualties yet, but no human casualties have been recorded.

“Strong winds and dry vegetation are contributing to the rapid spread of the fire,” reads the statement, which also emphasizes that authorities continue to mobilize resources to strengthen local units to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible.

Situation as of Monday morning and the government’s response

On Monday morning local time, Namibia’s Prime Minister Elijah Nghurare Manongo noted in a post that the fires remained localized both inside the park and outside its borders, but firefighting efforts continue and are improving.

“When there is teamwork, there is no task we cannot overcome,” Manongo added in his address.

Etosha is an important tourist jewel of Namibia, attracting around 200,000 visitors each year. The reserve is home to 114 species of mammals, including elephants, lions, and giraffes, as well as critically endangered black rhinos; more than 340 species of birds inhabit its territories. The park hosts a saline lake covering 4,730 square kilometers, so large that it is visible from space.

According to NASA data, fires, usually caused by lightning, used to sweep into the park’s savannas and forests about once per decade, but over time the scale and frequency of fires have increased. At the same time, historical studies indicate that prescribed burning practices help maintain the balance of the reserve’s ecosystem and prevent destructive fires similar to those that occurred in 2011, when fire destroyed substantial areas of the park.

“Strong winds and dry vegetation contribute to the rapid spread of the fire.”

“When there is teamwork, there is no task we cannot overcome.”

The government is now continuing to assess the situation and intensify monitoring to reduce the risk of renewed fires and preserve the unique Etosha ecosystem for future generations.